Several authors and writers have illustrated Romanticism and Realism depending on the message delivered to the viewers. We shall study the works of William Blake, a romanticist, and William Wordsworth in this article. The two authors describe the meaning of life's romantic and realistic aspects. Apart from people understanding love and dealing with life's reality, the writers present the two scenarios in a way that allows the readers to grasp the underlying meaning of the two parts of life. One of the major sayings of William Blake is, 'Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.' In the book, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Blake illustrated the relation between the good things in life and the bad things. The relation Blake gives the good and evil comes out to be what the people do not think. The literal meaning of the two words according to Blake shows that the people always wish to be associated with the good and avoid bad things.
In many occasions, the good lovers are equated to angels and given examples from the Bible. According to Blake, Proverbs are phrases of organized words that set a meaning and moral teaching that the people of all ages need to follow (Blake, William, and Geoffrey). Marriage is the union that brings two parties together and become one thing. In the book, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell explains the link between the good and bad thing in life. Many of the people fall in love because of the good things that are seen in the other party, not knowing that there is always the good and bad side of things. Many consider the good and avoid checking on the bad side before making moves. In the Bible, the book of Proverbs has many teachings that people should refer to when making decisions and doing things.
Many of the works of Blake is full of apocalyptic imagery. Blake much more values transcendence than stability. The ability to exercise love takes a lot of effort to go through the process and manage to remain on good terms with the partner. The side in which the society views romance from is far from the perspective of Blake. People get in love, not because of the right things the other people have but also because they can handle the odds of the other partner.
William Wordsworth
Ibsen is a literature and poet writer who elaborates what life is all about without any idealization or romantic activities t spice the information. The aspects of realism concentrate much on the external forces than the internal forces. The books of Ibsen that describe the facts of realism are I Wonder’d Lonely as a Cloud and The Prelude. Despite the books describing the aspects of realism, four major aspects of real life are explained in the books listed (Wordsworth, William, and Stephen). The aspects are forming the challenges facing the society in a debate that is aimed at finding solutions to the problems. Most people take the challenges faced by the community for granted. The actions taken either by leaders or by the people in the society are set from the contemporary perspective. The people tend to think too much about what life should be and forget to handle it in the manner that it is received.
The present situations and the people handling the situations are based on the imagination state.
Being realistic does not deal with what the people wish to be happening in the world but what life deals with in everyday life. The reality of life was shown by Ibsen through the forms of literature presented by him as a poet and writer of realism. To agree that Ibsen was indeed illustrating what reality is from living the life of imagination, “Behind the façade of a perfect Victorian family, there was an ugly reality; the ones who seem to be the upholders of strong values of old, the ‘pillars of society’, are the ones who are leading a life of shame (Wordsworth, William, and Ernest).” The characters used in the four plays show the acts of realism but also the manner in which Ibsen speaks in the presentation of his work.
The people in the plays written by Ibsen show that the characters represent their views as individuals and none represent another in giving opinions or expressions.
The response received from the audience in the representation of a certain issue that happens in real life is an indication that realism exists. The activities or events that take place in the society are well explained through a presentation in a public forum that is attended by a crowd t receive the information.
The performance of realistic plays is conducted in three-dimensional rooms where like the romantic events occur in painted and architectural rooms. Setting the stage for realism to be in three-dimensional view is to help the audience on a better focus of real life from the normal rooms that the people are set in their everyday lives. The setting of the real stage in the writing of Ibsen is a symbol that life has to be handled from the right perspective as it comes to the people. The description of the kind of stage that the events take place is a way of communicating so meaning to what the visual signs have to live. In the book, Ghost, Ibsen gives directions on the kind of stage that is set to be used for the performance (Ibsen, Henrik, and William). “A spacious garden room, with one door to the left, and two doors to the right. In the middle of the room a round table, with chairs about it. On the table lie books, periodicals, and newspapers. In the foreground to the left a window, and by it a small sofa, with a worktable in front of it. In the background, the room is continued into a somewhat narrower conservatory, the walls of which are formed by large panes of glass. In the right-hand wall of the conservatory is a door leading down into the garden. Through the glass wall, a gloomy fjord landscape is faintly visible, veiled by steady rain.”
Analysis of the writers
Despite William Blake and William Wordsworth having to choose to specialize in different sides of literature, both tend to give the opposite views of what they support. At some point in the delivery of the points and views about romanticism and realism, the authors shift from the major topics and talk about the opposing decisions (Göttsche, Dirk, and Nicholas). The shift from the topic does not imply the inconsistency of opinions but creates a basis to lay a strong point where all of the given supporting evidence can be proved correct. However, the authors stick to their major objectives throughout the delivery of their work.
The danger of being a young black male American
The persona features the danger of being a young black male American. The person is black American who narrates the fear he has while living in America. The clothes with black blood symbolize the killing of black people in America. It has been a nightmare for blacks in America as far as the blacks’ discrimination is considered. The white Americans mostly mistreat the blacks in various places such as schools, hospitals, and offices both in private and public institutions. Thus, the persona narrates sadly on difficulties that are faced by the Black Americans (Herman). Fault accusations characterize the killing of African Americans; for example in the poem the persona narrate how his heart was covered by the ice meaning he was scared of the repercussions of being black in America.
The white bones symbolize the dead bodies. The white bones mean in America many people are killed by the unknown individuals in America. The government has not been mentioned anywhere by the persona. Thus it means the government is not intervening in the killing of black people in America. No one remembers the lives lost; hence, the persona says, “There was a design of white bones slumbering forgotten upon a cushion of ashes.” Every individual in America has right to live; hence no one is allowed by law to kill innocent people. The decline in abiding by the law protecting the American lives characterizes the whites especially when it comes to taking off the lives of African Americans.
Racism is the main cause of the discrimination of African Americans.
The white people in America believe they are the suitable people to live in America and the black are supposed to be deported to their various origins. The slave trade is the factor that made the movement of blacks from Africa to America. The southern part of America is dominated by the African America because it is in South America where the plantation was practiced; hence, the slaves were working on the farms.
Sexual harassment Symbol
The raping of the black ladies is high in America. In the poem, the persona mentioned the buttons on the ground and the red lipstick of a whore. White treat black ladies as whores thus, they sexually abuse them because of their attitude towards the black ladies. The buttons show that a lady was battered by someone to an extent where the buttons were torn off. Sexual harassment is prohibited and anyone alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment require to through essential procedures to prove either guilty or innocent. It is the right for women to be taken care by the legal authorities.
The persona explains how he was being tortured by the people.
Stripping, battering teeth and swallowing the blood are the actions that show how the blacks are mistreated and tortured. Stripping the women and men in America is not allowed by law, but torture is practiced by whites. A man was created in the image of and besides we are all equal before the eyes of our creator thus it is ungodly to discriminate others because of their skin colors. Americans should also embrace the equality regardless of race and gender.
Many people are killed due to enmity between the natives and the African Americans.
It is true that white is the Native Americans while the blacks came to America under the circumstances such as slavery and business but it does mean white should mistreat blacks in the name of the land.
The tone used by the person when expressing about the buttons and the lipstick is evidently that women are treated like sluts in America.
The author considered mentioning the lipstick to show that the men who were smoking cigarette and drinking invaded a woman for sexual reasons. Rape cases are serious cases that can lead to life imprisonment, but contrary to the human rights protection, the law seems to be protecting some women and ignoring the black women.
Poverty and Education
Education is the key to success in life. Without good education in the nation like America, life can be difficult because it is the nation where access to good life is determined by skills to cope with the high technology and civilization. In the poem, the sooty details are the dirty details, which are experienced by the poor people. The opportunities are channeled to the known people in the society. Relatives tend to replace the available positions to their family and friends thus the chain of poverty is maintained by the poor people. Access to education varies based on the life standards in America because the children from rich families access high-class education while the children from low-income families access lower standard education. The rate of African Americans children who access high standard education are is less as compared to the white children thus making the black community termed as the poor community.
Works Cited
Blake, William, and Geoffrey Keynes. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. London: Oxford University Press, 1975. Print.
Göttsche, Dirk, and Nicholas Saul. Realism and Romanticism in German Literature =: Realismus Und Romantik in Der Deutschsprachigen Literatur. , 2013. Print.
Ibsen, Henrik, and William Archer. Ghosts: A Family-Drama in Three Acts. Auckland, N.Z.: Floating Press, 2009. Internet resource.
Reviews, Cram101 T. Studyguide for Humanistic Tradition, Book 5: Romanticism Realism and the Nineteenth -. Place of publication not identified: Academic Internet Publish, 2013. Print.
Wordsworth, William, and Ernest . Selincourt. The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth: Poems Founded on the Affections, Poems on the Naming of Places, Poems of the Fancy, Poems of the Imagination. , 1969. Print.
Wordsworth, William, and Stephen C. Gill. William Wordsworth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
